Welcome to Sister V's Recipe Page - This is a subpage of Sister Vegetarian's Blog. Travel the world with Sister in her kitchen...India, Japan, China, The Middle East, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mexico, South America, Italy, UK, France, Russia, and more.

What to Expect from Sister Vegetarian Recipes...

Sister Vegetarian knows the importance of nutrition without breaking the bank. In lieu of this, I keep the meals to a cost that anyone can create and still stick to a budget. I also include raw vegan meals. Sister has acquired a Raw Vegan Chef Certfication through The Raw Food Network-Ekaya Institute of Living Food Education. I love to cook meals from Africa, India, the Middle East, Greece, Italy, and the list goes on. When I cook, I call it traveling the world without leaving my home. I see cooking as a way to experiment and learn about other cultures, as I also learn more about my roots.

Enjoy the meals. Enjoy the travel. No Passport Required. Just an appetite for delicious and healthy meals.

Peace & Love, Sister Vegetarian.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Pesto - Creative Suggestions to help you transition

As I have always said, "eating vegetarian or vegan is not expensive." There are so many options for preparing vegetarian/vegan meals than meat based meals that you will never run out of creativity. I no longer encounter the blank look-the stare down- with my refrigerator to inquire "what should I eat for dinner?" I left that question behind me when I switched to a vegetarian and now vegan lifestyle.

Many meals or side meals can be made into full meals or extended to make other meals. For example, look at pesto. Pesto is traditionally served over pasta; however, take a look at the following alternative meal suggestions for pesto that add flavor and spice to any vegetarian or vegan meal whether you are transitioning to a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, or already are a vegetarian/vegan.

Note: I make my pesto home-made which not only saves on money, but you use fresh ingredients from your farmer's market, grocery store, or whole foods store.

Suggestions for Pesto:- Raw Vegan Pizza Topping- Topping for vegan or vegetarian pizza before placing the pizza in the oven to bake- Mix with a pizza crust dough before baking the crust to make a Focaccia type pizza crust or just Focaccia bread- Mexican style wrap with chickpeas, avocado, and tomatoes: Combine 1 cup of pesto with 1/2 cup of chickpeas, and 1 mashed Hass Avocado. Spread mixture on a wheat tortilla. Top with tomatoes, and roll tortilla. Slice in half. Serve with blue tortilla chips and salsa on the side.- Raw pasta: Slice collard leaves very thin and top with pesto for a raw vegan spaghetti- Appetizer: Pesto topped with a layer of tomatoes on a heated-garlic Italian Bread that is heated until crusty. Serve with a chilled glass of white wine such as a herbal Sauvignon Blanc or mineral-earthy Pinot Grigio.- Place in a soup for seasoning- Oven fries: Sprinkle pesto on raw sweet potatoes, red potatoes, or white potatoes. Place in oven to make oven fries- Serve on top of a vegetarian or vegan burger. the burger can be a bean based burger; or, a vegetable burger made from eggplant or Portobello mushroom